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8/23/13

If Crime Reporting Were Like Crash Reporting

A gun shot a man in Washington, D.C early this morning. The victim suffered serious injuries, but is expected to survive. Police found the man injured at the scene, but there were no witnesses. The man was not wearing a bullet-proof vest. It is also unclear if the man was drunk or distractedly walking. There is no crosswalk in that section of road. Distracted walking is increasingly common and studies show that it is responsible for more and more pedestrian injuries. Many state legislatures are considering laws to ban distracted walking.

The investigation caused police to shut down the street and traffic was detoured. This deeply inconvenienced a lot of people, many of whom became late for work by upwards of a few minutes. The man was shot in a blind spot on the road, where the road bends and sight lines are bad. The road also narrows at that point.
The gun did not remain at the scene and police are considering launching a full investigation. So far, police have not released the man's identity nor any information about the type of gun that shot him. It is unclear if the gun lost control or accidentally discharged. The police have also not determined whether charges will be brought. Anyone with information should call the TIPS line, police said.

UPDATE: The traffic was really, really bad. The road was closed for more than two hours.

UPDATE UPDATE: The police have re-opened the street and traffic is once again flowing normally.